While I Live
by Lyselle
Summary: Because Gale didn't just vanish off of the face of the earth when he left for District 2... For those of you wondering what happened to him, here's the story told by Gale himself.  Discontinued
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins obviously does. **

While I Live

Because Gale didn't just vanish off the face of the earth when he left for District 2...

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><p><strong><em>Prologue<em>**

I was sure my heart had completely broken towards the end of the war. I was sure that I couldn't possibly hurt more, given the facts that I had been unable to protect Prim (Instead, I killed her. Oh, the irony.), that Peeta was probably going to live happily ever after with Katniss, and Johanna Mason (yes, _that _Johanna Mason), was the only one who had attempted to offer any comfort at all (strange, yes), and even that was a lecture on how I should give up on Katniss, because it'll only hurt more. _I should've listened to_ _Johanna..._

Because in the end, it was me and not the Capitol that truly broke Katniss, almost beyond repair. I killed Prim, Primrose Everdeen, Katniss's only comfort in a world full of darkness. I killed the person who could make Katniss smile on the worst of days. The reason Katniss went into the Games in the first place. Prim was one of the reasons the whole damn rebellion started in the first place, because of Katniss's desire to protect her. In the end, she died anyway. Were they my bombs? I don't think so. But I felt responsible. Because I had failed.

My already shriveled up heart completely and utterly died, though, at that moment when Katniss screamed my name when she shot Coin. Immediately recognizing me as the person Katniss wanted, I had been seized myself by Peacekeepers. "Your cousin's going to be safe," they told me gruffly, and I didn't believe them for a second. I thrashes around to no avail. It was at that moment, when I couldn't keep my final feeble promise to Katniss Everdeen, to kill her in danger, was when my heart broke, and someone was poking the broken pieces with a cold metal rod.

After Katniss's trial was over, I would've returned to District 12. I wanted to. It was the only way anything could ever go back to normal for me. But I didn't, because Katniss would surely go there and I didn't want to disturb her anymore than I already had. I wanted her to be as happy as she possibly could. "Let her have her happy ever after with the baker's son," I told Beetee when he questioned my choice, "She doesn't love me anymore. She never will. Let her marry him, because even though she said she wouldn't, she will."

Prim, Bombs, Games, Peeta, Katniss, Explosion, Capitol, Catnip, Death, Misery, Baker, Games, Prim. My life was revolving around that at the moment, and I needed a fresh start.

So I got a job in District 2 as a television reporter through Beetee, who was still reluctant about me going, and packed the scraps of belongings I had left. I told my family they could stay in 12, but my mother refused to be separated from me. Besides, Rory wasn't taking Prim's death too well. _Great job, _I told myself_, You killed off your little brother's best friend. _Rory refused to talk to me, being just as stubborn as me.

Life in District 2 wasn't _horrible, _I guess.

The first thing that I had to get over when we arrived in District 2 was that District 2 bordered the new Capitol, which wasn't a place I liked to think about, even though the new Capitol wasn't hell bent on killing 23 kids each year for entertainment. District 2 itself also gave me a bad feeling, since I had created the plan to blow up The Nut, and a shiver passed through me whenever I saw the remains of it. So, so many people killed. So many kids left without fathers. For all I knew, by blowing up The Nut, I could've put hundreds of kids in my own position, a giant burden on the shoulders of the eldest children of the fathers I killed. But that wasn't likely, I told myself, District 2 was a Career district, these people were allies with the Capitol. The guilt hung over me like a black cloud, and whenever I forget it's there for just a moment, and look up and remember it all over again.

_So much death…_

The Games had their effects on me too, even if they were indirect. I had horrible nightmares almost every night now, and since I lived apart from my family in a small one bedroom flat the TV station had given me, there was no one to comfort me. I would spend way too many nights just pacing in my room and thinking and regretting what I had done in the war. I don't know what I had been thinking when I designed those weapons, I don't know what I was thinking when I had designed all of those war plans. It's like I was on some Capitol drug and I had stopped taking it only now, and the full weight of everything hit me.

I was twenty years old but I refused to get too close to any girls, even if they wanted to just be friends. They all reminded me of either Katniss or Prim in some distorted way. Prim and Katniss, Katniss and Prim. Once I saw someone with the same hairstyle as Katniss and completely freaked out, another time I saw a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that reminded me of Prim, and the worst incident was when I saw some girl with straight black hair and light blue eyes that looked gray from far away.

I overanalyzed everything. A kind gesture from a stranger or friend left me thinking of their motives at night, and I practically interrogated every friend that Vick, Rory, or Posy brought home from school. My mom finally had to drag me away once and gently told me that it would be best if I didn't hang around at times like that.

Despite everything that happened, all of the weird habits I developed, and the social issues I had, I somehow never completely lost my head. My family was always there for me, and Posy, who was now seven and going to an actual school, could still make me smile anytime. Fay and Calv, two of my friends from work, always managed to cheer me up at work or bring me back to earth if I spaced out during the day.

But yesterday was the last straw, and I snapped.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"**Once upon a time, somebody ran.**

**Somebody ran away, saying fast as I can.**

**I've got to go, I got to go.**

**Once upon a time, we fell apart. **

**You're holding in your hands the two halves of my heart. " **

**~Princess of China by Coldplay**

My day had been going normally. I had gotten up begrudgingly, almost killing the alarm clock on my bedside table. I dressed for work in a suit, and vaguely wondered what today's news reports would be about. Probably some new make-up trend or what color was 'in' these days for skin. The people of District 2 were infatuated with fashion and gossip. I guess there's _some_ things that even a war can't change about people.

The ten minute walk to work was pleasant, with a slight breeze and sunshine, and I must have been imagining it, but I swear I could smell coal in the air. I entered the television studio, which was probably four times the size of the Hob, and made of glass and metal instead of the usual wood we used in 12. Immediately after I stepped in, a swarm of people headed my way. There were cries of, "There's so much to do!" and "Look at those black circles!" and outrage at my poor hair, that I had forgotten to comb again.

The studio's director, a middle-aged woman named Reya, shoved a thick script into my hands and hissed, "Practice." From across the room, Fay shouted a twenty minute warning. I whispered my lines to myself, which included the usual things. Miss What's-her-face opened a salon in blah part of town… to the floor sleeves are so in… sparkly skin is making a comeback! Someone started to fix my hair with a comb, and I immediately insisted that I do it myself. God, did they really think I was incapable of holding a comb and running it through my hair?

"Capitolites," I muttered with a slight smile, using the word Rory had invented. Of course, I just overheard him saying it to Vick, since Rory wouldn't talk directly to me or look at me.

Lila, my assistant, or work buddy, as I liked to put it, came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder just as Fay shouted a fifteen minute warning. "Gale," she said. Her usually steady, slightly accented voice had a tremor of uncertainty running through it. "I have to talk to you about a major," Lila paused, searching for the right word, "…project."

"Um, okay." She gestured for me to come to a quiet part of the bustling studio, and I obediently followed her.

"Now, you have to promise me you won't scream or punch the wall or overreact in some other violent way," Lila said, completely serious.

"Okaay," I said slowly, my eyebrows creasing.

"Pshhst sdyhh poufsdd pttas ktnns wddig," she said quickly, taking a deep breath and immediately bracing herself for my reaction. I looked at her blankly, not even trying to decipher what she had just said.

"The station manager wants you to cover Katniss and Peeta's wedding," Lila said more slowly. Lila was the only who I had bothered to tell about my past, so she knew how hyper sensitive I was to the topic of Katniss. Therefore, I winced when she mentioned Katniss, and tried to calm myself down after I heard _and Peeta's wedding._

My blood pressure had probably gone up significantly by the time I said, "You know I can't do that. Any other wedding, sure, I don't care, but Katniss and Peeta? What the hell?" I felt as if Katniss should've told me beforehand or I should've had some sort of warning, which was pretty stupid considering our strained, barely-there, relationship.

I thought of all the dangers Katniss faced if she married Peeta. Peeta might go all wacko again and try to kill Katniss, Katniss might die of boredom while living with him, or die of obesity after eating all of Bread Boy's cookies, and that cheese bread she always liked. Things I could never give Katniss.

"The station manager might fire you if you don't cover it. It's the only major event that's come up since the war, and everyone wants to be able to see the wedding. If you won't do it, the manager'll find someone else to do it," Lila replied, visibly relaxing after she realized I wasn't going to hit anything or anyone.

I pressed my temples. "I'll think about it," I said. That was a big lie. I was already 100% sure that I was no way in hell going to Katniss and Peeta's wedding just because some gossip obsessed people needed entertainment. Lila nodded slowly, probably detecting my lie. She didn't say anything ,though, and Fay yelled a five minute warning.

I went through filming somewhat shakily. I kept drumming my fingers on the desk as I tried as hard as I could to cheerfully read the reports in my script. Filming took longer than the usual hour because Reya kept telling me to brighten up or stop fidgeting every few minutes. After a while though, we finally got to the editing process. After another hour of watching the editor play around with the footage, the 30 minute report was ready. We all watched the report, crew members pointed out any mistakes, the editor fixed them, we watched the clips again, and the tedious process was finally done around three o' clock. The crew was dismissed and Lila came up to me before I could leave.

"Please, try to convince yourself to do it, Gale, okay?" she said, and I just nodded again, clenching my teeth. That earned me a sigh from Lila and I gathered my things and headed to my family's house for a visit. _Mom had to have known about the wedding..._

I turned the spare key I had with me in the door, and as I soon as I walked in I was tackled by Posy. "Gale!" she squealed, and I felt myself relax, forgetting my purpose for coming here for a minute. I lifted her up and swung her around. Posy laughed hysterically and I kissed her forehead, setting her down.

"Where's mommy?" I asked her.

"I'll tell you where she is if you carry me there," Posy said with a grin. I cracked a small smile and swept her back up into my arms, Posy's red hair tickling my neck.

"Where to, Captain?" I asked her in a fake, accented voice.

"Mommy's room!" Posy said, and I walked down the hall with her on my back.

"We'll play later, okay Posy? I have to talk to mommy," I said, putting her down as we arrived at our destination. Posy pouted, but she nodded and skipped away, calling out for Vick as she went. I opened the door to my mother's room and stepped inside to find her sitting on her bed.

"Hi, mom," I said, and my mother turned to look at me.

"How are you?" she asked, but I cut straight to the point.

"You know about Katniss's wedding, don't you?" I asked, and my mother looked down at the bed.

"Yes, Gale. We got an invitation a few weeks ago," she said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, my voice rising, even though the answer was obvious.

"What do you think, Gale? I didn't want you to get angry for no reason," my mother said, her own voice getting slightly louder.

"Well, it turns out the TV station wants me to cover the wedding, or else I lose my job," I said, and my mother's eyes widened.

"Gale, don't go," she said shakily, "Y- you'll just upset yourself." _And Katniss_, I thought. What's better than to see your little sister's killer on your wedding?

"But I can't lose my job either," I said, wanting to yell at someone and punch something. I settled for the wall, and began to beat it with my fists as I started to throw a tantrum. It was incredibly stupid, but I didn't know what else to do.

"Stupid baker," I said through gritted teeth, punching the wall once for every word, "Stupid Capitol, stupid Games." My mother came up behind me and grabbed me, barely restraining me with her frail arms.

To my surprise, she started yelling at me. "Get yourself together, Gale! You can't just do that whenever you feel like it! Think about Posy, what if she sees you like this? What do you think she'll say? She looks up to you, Gale!" I clenched my fists.

"I'm leaving." I walked out the door, ignoring a very confused Posy in my anger, and slamming the door just in time to hear Posy ask herself what happened. I ran all the way home, wanting to shrivel up and die.

_My Katniss, in Peeta Mellark's arms… _

No wonder my dreams I didn't sleep well that night.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"**That's when she said I don't hate you boy,**

**I just wanna save you**

**While there's still something left to save.**

**That's when I told her I love you, girl."**

**~ Savior by Rise Against**

_Parachutes, tons of parachutes, like silver stars falling down from the sky. It could only mean gifts, they thought, food and medicine. They ran towards the fallen stars, clutching them in their small hands, smiling with relief and showing them around to all of the others._

_Everyone now ran forward to try and catch a silver star, filled with what was supposed to be food and medicine. A little blond girl runs and grabs one, and half of the stars catch on fire in sync. The little blond girl is safe for the moment, and she watches in confusion at the silver object in her hand, looks around at the children screaming in pain, opens her mouth to form a name, realizes a moment too late what is happening. The rest of the silver stars erupt in flame, taking the little girl down with them._

_"Prim!" someone screams, the voice carrying over all the way where I stood, glued to my spot. The voice is filled with horror, sadness, fury, helplessness._

_"Prim!" I let myself fall to my knees, people rushing to the children, trying to help the few that were left._

_"Prim," I mumble, closing my eyes, hearing people shouting at me. People trampled me. I let them. I let the pain tear at me. Pain, pain, make it all go away. All go away, all go away._

_I let the image of the silver parachutes falling down from the sky overtake me. Beetee's bombs. They're Beetee's, I think, I'm sure of it. He'd shown me those designs himself. I only helped improve on them a little, but they were Beetee's. I knew it wouldn't matter though, because Katniss would think it was me, and in a way it was. I could've stopped it somehow, I could've somehow saved Prim._

_My job, wasn't it? Taking care of Katniss's family? But I failed. Failed, failed, failed…_

* * *

><p>"Gale, you need to tell me right now if you're gonna do the wedding special or not," Lila said, glaring at me over the top of her glasses. I blinked and looked her, pretending not to hear.<p>

"Gale," she sighed, "Really, you have to decide right now. I know Katniss was, um, special to you, but you should at least try to move on." I bit my lip, thinking over Lila's words. It was true, but still.

"Oh my gosh, is Gale seriously still hung up over that girl?" I immediately rolled my eyes. Here comes Silina, I thought. Oh joy.

"Silina, now's not the time," Lila said, trying to suppress an eye roll, "You should go do Ary's make-up. We're going to start filming her weekly fashion segment in 30 minutes."

"I know you're just trying to get rid of me," Silina said, her arms crossed over her chest. She seemed proud of herself for figuring out something that obvious. "Well, as I was saying, the wedding should be fun, Gale. I mean, it's not everyday you get a chance to go to a victor's wedding."

Silina thought for a minute. "Two victors actually, and the star crossed lovers of District 12 at that. What cuter than that?" There was _nothing _less cute than the thought that Katniss would end up being Mrs. Katniss Mellark in a week.

"Star crossed lovers. How cute," I practically snarled, my voice coated in sarcasm.

"Silina," Lila warned, shooting me a look that said _You'd better shut up, too._

"I'm just saying," Silina smiled, showing what I liked to think as fangs, flipping her hideous artificial pink hair. She walked away, with her scary-looking high heels tapping on the floor. Silina may seem incredibly stupid, but she was incredibly smart in her own twisted way. She can get her hands on any information about you through her 'friends', and then she'll hold that information against you, or in my instance, keep reminding you about said information until you go nuts.

When I was sure Silina was out of earshot, I told Lila, "I can't do it. You know I can't do it. I'll probably go crazy or something after seeing Katniss and Peeta. That is, if Katniss doesn't kill me on sight first."

Lila sighed, closing her eyes. "Your job is on the line, Gale. What will you do if you don't have this job? It's not like you have any other skills that would be helpful in a career." That brought up depressing images of me sitting at a table and designing weapons for the Panem weaponry department. Or I could always start hunting animals and selling them again, except that there weren't any woods here.

"I don't know," I said. It was a simple answer, a answer usually used to avoid further questions, but it was completely true at that moment.

* * *

><p>As soon as I walked up to the door of my family's house that afternoon, I could hear arguing from inside. Curious, I carefully slipped the key into the lock, and opened the door as quietly as I could. Slipping back into my hunting stride, I took deathly quiet footsteps towards the voices, making sure to stay in the shadows cast by the furniture. Feeling really stupid, I knelt behind a sofa in the living room. By now, I could tell it was mom and Rory who were arguing.<p>

"You want me to go to Katniss's wedding with you? No way, take _Gale_," Rory was saying, my name dripping with venom. I winced.

My mom laughed nervously. "You know I can't take Gale, Rory. After what happened-"

"Killing Prim? It's okay, mom, you can say it out loud. It's not like saying it will change anything," Rory cut her off, chuckling lightly. His voice was shaky. "She's gone," he mumbled. The way he said it, the realization suddenly hit me. Rory and Prim? Oh god, how couldn't I have known? I guess the Everdeens and Hawthornes were just never meant to be.

My mother was stunned into silence. There was a pause. "He didn't mean to," mom said, almost pleadingly, "He didn't mean to, Rory. Prim was like a sister to him." She was close to tears now.

"Well, he still did it, on purpose or not. He shouldn't have designed those stupid bombs in the first place," Rory shouted angrily.

"Please, Rory. Try to get over it," my mother said. As soon as the words left her mouth, I knew it was the worst thing she could possibly say.

"Me? You're telling me to get over it?" Rory was yelling now, his voice echoing around the whole house. I vaguely wondered where Vick and Posy were, and how they were reacting to all of this fighting. Hiding under a bed? Ignoring it?

"Gale needs to get over Katniss. But he won't be able to do that, will he? Gale's drowning in self-pity. He'll never get over it, I swear. Never. I'm sick of him, can't you see? He doesn't even freaking _try _anymore. Gale. Is. Gone. What the hell is left of him, mom? _What's left of him?_"

"You don't know what it feels like, Rory," my mother said quietly, in a trembling, faraway voice that told me she was thinking of my father.

"I do!" Rory screamed at the top of his lungs, standing up quickly. "I know what it feels like, and that's the whole freaking problem! I wish I didn't know how Gale feels like, but I do." The gears in my mom's mind were probably turning now in the pause that followed.

"Oh," my mother said, figuring out what he meant, the thing that I had figured out only a minute ago. "Oh," she repeated. My mother's tone clouded over with sympathy, and she whispered comfortingly to Rory.

I wished the floor would swallow me up whole. All of this was my fault. I could hear Rory start to sob, and my heart twisted with guilt. Being distracted, no one noticed me quietly slinking back out the door. As soon as I was out, I broke into a run.

"I'll move on," I muttered to myself. I went inside my flat, slamming the door behind me. I picked up the phone that sat on a wooden table in the middle of the main room. I dialed Lila's home number, waiting impatiently for her to pick up.

"Lila? Hey, it's Gale," I said, forcing a smile on my face as if she were watching. "Tell them I'm in for the wedding."

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><p><strong>THANKS FOR READING, EVERYONE! :D<strong>

**If there's any mistakes, any thing I can improve on, please tell me as always. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the story!**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**"One thing,**

**I don't know why**

**It doesn't even matter how hard you try."**

**~In The End by Linkin Park**

Deciding to do the wedding story was a rash decision, and my mind had finally caught up with my choice and was now thinking of all of the possible, not too far fetched ways this trip could go wrong. My mother looked pale-faced when I told her that I had decided to go, but she didn't say anything to encourage or discourage me. She simply nodded and told me that she would bring our family to the wedding by train a day after I was set to leave.

Preparations in the TV station started as soon as everyone found out I was coming along for the wedding. Everyone was laughing and happy about the wedding, and an air of excitement hung around District 2 these days. There were whispered guesses about what the bride would be wearing, where the wedding would take place, and who was going to be invited.

I went through all of this in a foggy state of mind, barely comprehending what was happening. I let myself be dressed up to see what was most appropriate for the wedding and sat patiently through lighting tests. No one noticed that I was acting a little more off than usual, because they were used to me spacing out and thought that it was perfectly normal behavior for me.

"I'll back out tomorrow," I told myself every night, when all of the messed up scenarios I conjured up became too much for me to handle. But I could never bring myself to do it when I saw pure excitement and joy written all over the crew's faces, because if I quit now it would surely jinx the whole project.

By the time I had agreed to cover the wedding, we had five days to prepare for the wedding. Five days should've been more than enough, but apparently Lila and the others didn't follow my thinking, because we all had to work from six in the morning to nine at night, and all of this was just to get all of the technology and wardrobes in order, which I thought was pretty stupid.

The five days passed by in a blur of lights, clothes, papers, shouting, and sleepless nights. I was half dead with sleeplessness and worry so I wouldn't be able to recall any details of the preparations if my life depended on it. All too soon, it was time to District 12. Time to go back home, even if it was only for a little while.

* * *

><p>"No way in hell am I sitting next to that thing," I said as soon as I boarded the hovercraft. Silina glanced up from the magazine she was reading and smiled at me.<p>

"Gale, there's no other seats left. Besides, we're already running late, thanks to you," Lila said from behind me, glancing down at her clipboard.

"But," I started, and was cut off by the pilot's voice.

"We're about to take off, please stay seated. Thank you."

I cast one last frantic look around the slight cramped interior of the hovercraft to check for any empty seats. Finding none, I groaned and reluctantly sat down next to Silina and buckled my seatbelt. My stomach turned as the hovercraft was lifted into the air, but after a few minutes the strange feeling passed and I relaxed slightly.

Even though I had my guard up, Silina didn't bother me for the first half of the two hour flight. She just went on reading that magazine of hers, which claimed to know the solution to all hair problems, and the latest hair colors. Silina kept flicking her horrendous pink hair to the side every few minutes, a habit that became more and more annoying as the flight when on, especially because her hair would find its way into my face. I can't tell you how many times I tried to dodge her hair flicks, but since we were seated so close together my attempts always failed.

"Can you stop doing that?" I finally asked after the millionth hair strike.

"Doing what?" Silina said, flicking her hair again. _I wish I had a nice pair of scissors right about now..._

"Flicking your hair like that. It's been in my face for the last hour," I said, annoyed.

"Fine," Silina said, in a hurry to get back to reading her magazine. Silina actually kept her word, and there were no more pink hair attacks. But after half an hour, Silina finally finished reading her magazine, and she turned to me for entertainment.

"I'm bored," she said simply, tucking her magazine into a bag that lay at her feet. I blinked.

"Tell me a story, Gale," Silina said, poking my shoulder for emphasis. I ignored her whining and pokes until she started jabbing her long, long fingernails into my shoulder.

"Ouch, okay, what kind of story?" I asked her, rubbing my shoulder.

"How about something about the war?" Silina said, brightening up.

"No," I said, immediately turning away from her and staring ahead. Silina started stabbing my shoulder again.

"Come on, Gale. Please?" she asked, still stabbing.

"Choose another topic. I'll tell you a story about, um, my little sister," I said.

"That's boring," Silina said, the tone of her voice starting to change to that of a toddler throwing a tantrum. I ignored her again. There was silence for a few minutes, and then Silina spoke up again.

"Hey, Gale?" she asked.

"What?"

"How's it going to feel to watch Katniss marry Peeta?" Silina asked, her voice coated in sugar. _Don't let her get to you, Gale. _

"I heard she was your best friend before the war, and you used to do everything together," Silina prodded. _How the hell does she know about that? Freaking stalker._

"I also heard you killed her little sister towards the end of the war," Silina said, still using that sickly sweet voice.

"Shut up, Silina," I said through gritted teeth. _Calm down, calm down.._

"Katniss will be just thrilled to see you, won't she? I mean, you did kill her sister," Silina said.

"Go to hell, Silina." _Silina is a mutt, _I told myself, _Silina is a stupid, idiotic, freaking_ mutt.

"I don't know how you did it, though. A gun? Bow and arrows? _Bombs?_" Silina smiled, knowing she'd struck a nerve.

"_Go. To. Hell," _I hissed at her, through teeth clenched so hard I don't know why they didn't break. I grabbed the nearest thing I could find, which happened to be a glass of water in my cup holder, and threw it on the ground which such force that shards of glass scattered throughout the small passenger's compartment. Silina shrieked and I heard Lila yell my name angrily, but other than that it was deathly quiet, and all of the previous talking and whispering died down.

"Five minutes until District 12," the pilot's slightly confused sounding voice echoed through the shocked silent hovercraft.

* * *

><p>I could barely recognize District 12 when I first stepped foot in it. The last time I had seen District 12 was when it had been bombed by the Capitol, after the Quarter Quell. Instead of the burning buildings and dying people that had been burned into my memory from the day of the bombing, I saw brand new, gleaming shops and buildings. Instead of the crying and screams and moans that I had last heard here, I heard children laughing and people talking excitedly.<p>

My stomach turned as I looked around and identified some areas. A shiny new bakery stood in place of the old one. There was a new apothecary shop, built with metal and glass instead of bricks and wood. There was a large town hall built in place of Madge's house. _Madge. _Just thinking about her after all these years was like a punch in the stomach.

I began to feel nauseous as I fetched my bag and started walking towards the motel we were all staying in. So many people I hadn't been able to save. So many horrible, horrible things buried under this gleaming new district that was supposed to be my home.

I walked slowly through the district market, and thankfully the crew gave me some space to myself after the Silina episode. Everything was so unfamiliar. Every house besides Katniss's house had been burned down in the Seam, and no one had bothered to fix things up there.

My feet carried me to the gap in the fence that I had crawled under so many times, and along the way I saw a dilapidated building. I frowned and squinted at it, realizing it was the Hob. I laughed hollowly. The Hob was one of the only buildings made of metal, being a warehouse, and it had somehow survived the bombings. The building was charred and dented and deformed in some places, but it was familiar, and without thinking I entered it.

There was pin drop silence when I entered, and everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at me in shock. I looked around at everyone's faces, desperately searching for Greasy Sae. She was eating a bowl of her famous turkey stew, spoon frozen mid-bite. I stared out at the people, and finally I began to associate names and jobs with the faces. An old woman named Rose who sold tattered clothes, a man who used to sell vegetables, someone named Rick who bought meat from Katniss and I...

It was Sae who broke the silence. "Gale?" she asked weakly, and then again, "Gale," like she needed to confirm it was really me. She slowly set down her bowl, the clanging sound echoing through the building.

Sae walked up to me and engulfed me in a hug, even though she was a foot shorter than me. "We'd given up hoping you'd come back a long time ago," Sae smiled at me sadly. That broke the spell.

People started shooting questions at me. _How's District 2? What's your job? Where's the rest of your family? Why didn't you come back sooner? _And most importantly, _why are you here? _

We all assembled in a circle, and someone handed me a bowl of stew and a chipped spoon, and I inhaled the familiar smell. It wasn't gourmet food, but I scarfed it down. I was amazed at how all of the people assembled here remembered me. I thought they'd have forgotten me long ago, but apparently Katniss and I had made more of a mark on the Hob than we thought.

After explaining my life in District and telling everyone about my family, Sae asked me why I was here. "I mean, it's good to have you back, but why come back now? Especially since it's Katniss's wedding." Sae said carefully, looking at me for my reaction.

"You're not here to crash the wedding or something, are you?" I shook my head no.

"The TV station wants me to do a news story on the wedding," I said, wincing at how sour I sounded. The wedding that would make Peeta and Katniss husband and wife.

"Oh," Sae said. "That can't be easy for you, can it?" I gritted my teeth and fiddled with my bowl.

"Are you planning on visiting Katniss?" Sae asked. My head shot up.

"Do you think she'll want to see me?" I asked sarcastically, "Of course I'm not going to see her. Why mess her life up more than I already have?" My temper was starting to get out of hand, and Sae changed the subject, sensing the change.

Sae filled me in on the story of District 12 after the war. She said that all of the bombing survivors went back to District 12 as soon as they could, and everyone bunked together in the remaining Victor's houses. President Paylor sent in construction crews, new homes were built, and there was a new warehouse that was filled to the brim with construction supplies and food and clothes. Everyone took what they needed, and eventually a new market was built, and people settled into their new life.

"Sounds like a happy ending to me," I said, with no emotion. Sae had left out the part where Katniss and Peeta come back and build a house together and bake cakes together and live happily ever after.

I stayed in the Hob for hours, not caring if the crew was looking for me or if we still had preparations to go through. This whole trip seemed easier when I thought of it in District 2. Go to District 12, stay away from Katniss, film the wedding, avoid Katniss, go back to District 2.

I could already see that it was going to be a lot more complicated than that.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the wait guys! <strong>

**Reviews are appreciated! :D Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapters. **


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